Air India pays for Dalit panel's 5-star spree

It is the best freebie anybody could have hoped for. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) splurged Rs 5.72 lakh of public money in December 2009 by staying in a Mumbai luxury hotel, availing its various five star facilities and then roaming around the financial capital in luxury ca

It is the best freebie anybody could have hoped for. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) splurged Rs 5.72 lakh of public money in December 2009 by staying in a Mumbai luxury hotel, availing its various five star facilities and then roaming around the financial capital in luxury cars.

In what is surely a blatant violation of ethics and a case of conflict of interest, the NCSC bills were paid for by Air India, one of the companies against which the scheduled castes commission was in Mumbai for three days to review scheduled caste employees cases. The delegation included NCSC chairman Buta Singh, vice-chairman N. M. Kamble, commission member Mahendra Bodh, Kamble's private secretary R. C. Kapoor, assistant director Kaushal Kumar and Singh's personal staff member Bhoovan Chandra. They stayed at The Trident, a luxury hotel at Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex and their expenses included room rent, food, travelling and usage of spa facilities.

On December 28, the delegation checked into some of the hotel's mid- segment rooms, which attracted a maximum tariff of Rs 22,500 per night. Kamble has a house in Mumbai. But he decided instead to live in five- star comfort with his colleagues. The accepted practice for any Central delegation is to stay at government guest houses in the city of visit.

When asked about the alleged flouting of travel rules and ethics, Singh accepted that he and other NCSC members had visited Mumbai to review cases of Air India and other public sector units. "There were cases involving other government institutions also," he said. He said staying at luxurious hotels was not unusual. "We are not under the government of India," he remarked. His colleague Kamble said, " We did not book the hotel rooms. This is all humbug." Singh added that whenever the NCSC found a facility at a circuit house vacant, " we stay there." This time, too, he said, he was booked somewhere else, "but I left that hotel. In any case, the arrangements for travel and accommodation are made by the institutions where we go to review scheduled castes- related matters."Singh denied any conflict of inter-NCSC vice-chairman ests as Air India had apparently taken permission from the NCSC to host him and his team during their Mumbai trip. But he did not clarify why his office gave permission to an organisation that was being reviewed by the NCSC to host the investigating authority.

M AIL T ODAY investigations show that two persons stayed in the room (No 1021) booked under NCSC member Mahendra Bodh's name. The receipt for this room shows " 2" under the sub- head " No of guests". Interestingly, another room (No 1017) was booked under Bodh's name. In fact, Bodh's expenses of Rs 15,200 on using the hotel's spa and fitness centre facilities were billed to the latter room.

Bodh denied using the hotel's spa. " I have not used it," he said.

" It is the institution which takes care of the official trips." NCSC vice- chairman's private secretary R. C. Kapoor took his wife for the official trip. Two rooms (Nos 948 and 955) were booked under the name of " Mr and Mrs R. C. Kapoor" at the rate of Rs 13,000 and Rs 13,250 respectively per night.

Kaushal Kumar, believed to be Singh's confidant, also had booked a room for two persons. The hotel records do not mention who stayed with him. During the NCSC delegation's Mumbai stay (December 28- 31), Air India had to shell out more than Rs 4.5 lakh on accommodation, food and for the spa.

According to government guidelines on travel allowance, the luxury hotel stay of the three junior NCSC officials is also a violation.

Government rules specify that Kapoor, Kumar and Chandra - who are at the level of under- secretary and below - can spend only Rs 1500 per day on official stay. Their travel and food bills Enjoy 5- star comfort during probe tour whether working conditions at Air India were conducive to scheduled caste employees, Singh and his men have not prepared any action- taken report. In fact, Singh, during his three- year tenure as NCSC chairman has not submitted a single annual report on the status of scheduled castes to the President, as he is supposed to as per the mandate given to him. His term comes to an end in May this year.

According to another NCSC member, Satya Bahin, the delegation that visited Mumbai has " undertaken several such secret visits". She has written a confidential letter to the secretary of the Union social justice and empowerment ministry detailing her allegations.

They "have always stayed in 5/ 7 star hotels and avoided government accommodations", she has charged. In her letter, Bahin refers to several trips Singh has made to Kolkata and Mumbai since December last to review banks and public sector units.

"Another visit was made from December 24, 2009, to January 3, 2010, to Mumbai and Shirdi" and all of them went on the tour with their respective families, she has alleged in the letter.

"At Mumbai, accommodation for all these were arranged in seven- star hotels by Air India which is a sinking organisation, and at Shirdi by the ONGC," she wrote.

Sources said Singh should have been aware that his lavish spending violates Chapter II of Rules of Procedure of the NCSC, which clearly states that "(the NCSC) members will observe the norms laid down by the state governments regarding security/ travel/ accommodation, etc. during such tours."

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